


The one where things go differently

by KS_Claw



Series: Ruptured worship [4]
Category: Guardians of Childhood - William Joyce, Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Eldritch Abomination AU, F/M, M/M, Multi, Sandy can learn!, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-30
Updated: 2016-01-30
Packaged: 2018-05-17 04:47:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5854786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KS_Claw/pseuds/KS_Claw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What good is time travel, if you can't use it to your advantage?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Bunny can travel back in time. He only does it if he feels it is absolutely necessary, or if he is sometimes in need of inspiration that can’t be found in history books. He can’t really explain how he does it, but it looks easy enough.

Sandy has been keeping an eye on him for quite some time, using all his senses to figure out how Bunny does it. Oh he could probably ask, but Bunny would probably either give a long-winded explanation, or he’d offer a brief trip to show off, or he’d reject Sandy completely. Neither of the three possible outcomes are appealing, especially not the second one.

Jack has asked once, hoping to see a glimpse of his _Family That Had Been._ Bunny had hemmed and hawwed, and finally given Jack a long-winded explanation for why Jack would be better off with his _Family That Is Now._

Jack had managed a smile while saying he understood, but Sandy could tell he was not happy. It had snowed in some parts of the world for days, and Jack had refused to interact with anyone. When Sandy had managed to get him to talk, the Winter spirit had not even been able to look at him.

“I just… I would just like some kind of _closure_. You know?” He said quietly. “I want to know that my sister was okay. It’s not like I would just, rush up and talk to her. I’ve seen _Back To The Future_ , I know time travel is risky.”

Sandy has seen that movie too, and he knows that with Jack being a spirit, they wouldn’t be able to see him anyway, time travel or not. But he decides not to mention this fact, as he knows Jack does not like to be reminded of that time either.

But he does understand about closure, even if he is not bringing Jack with him on this trip.

In the end, it doesn’t really take that long for him to understand how the time travel magic works. It’s kind of like how Star Beings will travel sometimes, by opening parts of the space around them, and climbing through the hole, and appearing somewhere else. Except in this case, you also have to think back to where you want to go.

He doesn’t tell about it to the other Guardians, or to Moon. They wouldn’t understand. And knowing Bunny, he would probably try to stop Sandy. There’s even a strong possibility that he could show up and try to stop Sandy, despite how far back Sandy wants to go.

And Sandy knows where he wants to go. He also knows what he needs to do. It is risky, and it will require _a lot_ of patience on his part, but he brings along something that will remind him how it will all be worth it.

When Sandy finds out how to imitate Bunny’s technique that allows him to go back in time, he brings along the golden oyster with Pitch’s pearls.


	2. Chapter 2

He arrives in the right place, at the right time, behind the temple where the ceremony takes place. And right where he knows his younger self will be as well who is asleep under a tree. ( ~~He remembers well how he was saving energy back then for the changes he was planning for that night.)~~ Sneaking up on the other is child’s play.

Overpowering the other is as easy as drawing in a deep breath. His younger self doesn’t even feel it, when Sandy forces him to stay asleep, and then sends him the way he had come, before closing the time hole he had made himself.

It is a brutal way of handling things, but it must be done. It will keep accidents from happening, or so Sandy hopes.

He finishes just in time too, slipping into his Star Pilot form, which everyone finds so harmless and endearing. He sets off on a cloud and arrives just in time to see the bride arrive in her carriage. The last time, he had just popped up inside the temple, before the ceremony started, just so he didn’t have to spend too much time there. But now? Now things will be different.

He is going to enjoy every single minute.

He files into the temple along with everyone else, and he settles somewhere in the middle, and not near the front, even though that is where Kozmotis is. Today is for Kozmotis and his _LovelyOne_ , _**not**_ for Sandy (which he feels he should have known around the first time, but he was too foolish in his own way to realize it.)

Poor Kozmotis is also nervous, that much is obvious. But it eases, first when he sees Sandy wave to him, and then just as the music for the ceremony itself begins. The doors at the end of the chapel opens, and the bride enters.

Ah, but she really is beautiful, Sandy thinks as he watches _LovelyOne_ get escorted to the altar. Kozmotis is no longer nervous, there is only love and happiness, and they are both practically _glowing_ with it.

The ceremony itself is indeed lovely, and not as drawn out as he recalls it being before. He knows why though. Things tend to rush by faster, when you are actually enjoying them.

And people are standing up and applauding, as the newlyweds move down the aisle, and Sandy watches them, feeling a strong warmth where he has the oyster. However things turn out this time, he thinks, he will _not_ allow himself to ruin _anything_.

But now it is onward to the party. Perhaps he might talk to Kozmotis at some point, but it will be on the others terms and not Sandy’s.

Tonight is meant for _happiness_ in the way the humans intended, and not like it once was of a selfish Star Being.


	3. Chapter 3

Sandy finds himself sitting by himself, watching as the wedding party goes on through the night. He finds that he doesn’t really mind, because sitting alone gives him time to think. Think about what happened before, and how things are different now.

Once in a while, his hand strays to his inner pocket where he keeps the oyster, and with just a bit of concentration, he can easily sense the pearls, and their unhappy contents. He watches scenes from another time, compares the then with now, and thinks and thinks and thinks.

And he realizes that while Kozmotis once loved him, it had been a love that was fading to something else, by the time the wedding with his _LovelyOne_ came. Oh he still loved Sandy, but he was still human, and he had his thoughts on the future with his bride, not one with Sandy. At least not yet, a small part had always thought.

The kind of love that Kozmotis had for Sandy, had been like a cygnet imprinting on a grown creature as a parent. It loved it and adored it, but eventually the cygnet grows into a swan, and it finds it wants to set off on its own.

Sandy sighs softly, watching the happy couple as they dance their wedding waltz. He is not going to make that mistake again, he decides. The pearls are a bitter reminder of things that could have been avoided.

Or rather, that have been avoided, the Star Being decides, as Kozmotis and his bride are surrounded by their guests in a slowly applauding circle, before they finally duck away and make a run for it, the newlyweds laughing and grinning at one another as they make an escape to a waiting carriage, with the guests following and waving goodbye.

Sandy will watch them, his Kozmotis and his _LovelyOne_ , but he will not dominate their lives. Let them have their time to themselves, and then see what happens.

He knew ways to keep himself from getting bored. After all, there was always a job for a star pilot.  
—-

Kozmotis still loves Sandy, but more in a family-like way, just as Sandy had figured out. By the time he comes for a visit, almost three months since the wedding, it’s something Sandy has had time to prepare for. In more than one sense, to be honest.

He can feel it though, from the way Kozmotis greets him both as human and partially in Star Speak the way Sandy taught him, to the way he sits with his  _LovelyOne_ as they settle in the livingroom after a nice lunch. They are both practically glowing literally with love, and Sandy… well, he wants so badly to have a part of it, but he also knows it is not his place to ask for that kind of thing. Especially not with the news that follow.

“We are having a baby!” Kozmotis and _LovelyOne_ tell him, and Sandy finds himself clapping his hands happily and wishing them congratulations.

The oyster weighs heavily in his inner pocket, but in this moment of joy it is easy enough to not pay attention to. He is not going to forget his promise to himself or to a Kozmotis from another time.


	4. Chapter 4

Their first child, a dark haired girl, is born on a spring morning. This child is joined by a second, a boy, the summer after that. Two years pass, and the Pitchiners are blessed with twin girls one winter night. And one fall morning, three years after, the Lady Pitchiner gives birth to what will be her final child, another little boy.

Sandy is around for every birth, to make certain nothing goes wrong, mostly per request from Kozmotis. And while the last birth is a hard one for the Lady Pitchiner, it is not a tragic one. There are no complications, which might make her unable to bear any more children, and the child is strong and healthy, just like his older siblings. It is simply the Pitchiner’s choice, that five children are plenty.

Kozmotis is a good father, who loves and adores his children. He spoils them, but not to the point where they become rotten. Their mother sees to the rest, teaching the manners and all they need to know about being good people.

Sandy somehow becomes a tutor, teaching them all about astronomy and star travel and the constellations. He does not get any closer than that, however. He adores the children, but they need to have their own lives. Kozmotis, he finds out, is grateful for this. And _LovelyOne_ is too.

She used to be afraid of him, she confesses one evening when the children are all being put to bed by their father. She and Sandy are in the livingroom again, enjoying a cup of tea. But, she tells him, she has known what he really is for a couple of years. Kozmotis told her on their wedding night, and while he assured her that Sandy would not harm her, she couldn’t help but be afraid.

Sandy remembers the sound of shattering glass, and the sight of a broken body on cobblestones. Outward, all he does is smile sadly.

 _I understand._  he tells her. _My kind do not have a good reputation. And I make no false promises. I do love you both so very much, but…_ he shakes his head.

“But?” _LovelyOne_ asks carefully.

 _But yours, and his happiness, mean more to me than anything else._ Sandy finally says.

They sit in silence after that, both in quiet contemplation, until Kozmotis returns while carrying their youngest in his arms. The little one wants to be with his parents until he falls asleep, and Sandy just smiles and shakes his head when asked if he minds.  
—–

Their oldest daughter becomes a Star Pilot when she is eighteen and with her parents blessing set off for her own journeys and adventures.

Their son goes off to University the year after his sister has left. He is going to be a professor in astronomy.

While the rest of the children grow, so does the friendship with Kozmotis and _LovelyOne_. Sandy keeps them both company, and support them when they have to make difficult decisions.

The twins want to join the Constellation Fleet. They both want to be engineers. And while Kozmotis doesn’t know what to think of it at first, _LovelyOne_ gives them her blessing. Kozmotis finally helps them on their way, by getting them connected to an old friend of his in the Fleet. He will help the girls on their way.

But it is hard to say goodbye. Sandy knows this all too well, especially when he watches along with the distraught parents, as their girls leave with their older sister (who as a star pilot has gained a bit of rank herself and can guide them through their first steps).

Their youngest child stays home. Oh he studies and gets a degree, “just in case,” he tells his parents and Sandy. But he prefers to stay home for now, because there is just so much to do!

But Sandy is always there. And for that, the Pitchiners are grateful.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And we are done! Thank you for reading, and hope you enjoyed it <3

It is never too late to learn something new, which Sandy knows from experience. _LovelyOne_ is of course a bit nervous, but Kozmotis is there with them both, and holding her hand, keeping her grounded and making her feel safe. It helps really, that Kozmotis has told her about it all from the start, of how it feels to let go of your own shape and become something else entirely.

“Does it hurt?” She asks. A perfectly natural question, really. Kozmotis gently assures her, that while it can feel strange it doesn’t hurt at all.

Sandy smiles, while trying not to think of a broken shell lying on the ground, as he takes her other hand.

 _If I may, I would like to show you._ He says gently. She watches him now, eyes alert and a tiny bit apprehensive, but more trusting than anything else. In the years she has been married with Kozmotis, she has come to know Sandy, she sees him more as a friend than as the monster Star Beings are perceived to be.

Sandy tells her to watch their hands, and while she holds on to Kozmotis for dear life, she watches her other hand clasped gently between Sandy’s, as he shifts everything around them, gently coaxing some inner part of her to let go, but only if she wants to. A small part of him can sense the bits of Kozmotis that are also intangible, caressing her gently and assuring her all is safe.

She gasps when she sees hers and Sandy’s hand disappear, but she can still feel his touch. It is just different, almost like having your hand submerged under warm water, and getting touched by sea weed.

She laughs, and both Kozmotis and Sandy smile.   
———

The children are grown now. Even their youngest son has found someone, and has a family of his own. Kozmotis and _LovelyOne_ are still strong and healthy, but Sandy can also tell that they are getting tired. Tired of running this large estate all by themselves, and sometimes of the company of their grown children, and the grandchildren they have.

Sandy has changed his appearance as well, looking suitably old for mortal eyes, but all the Pitchiner grandchildren are always ready to beg him for stories about the stars and astronomy and so on. He has it easier, faking the need for constant naps, or falling asleep in the middle of a story. The grown children tolerate it, because _‘uncle Sandy is just old, don’t bother him.’_

 _Oh I am indeed old_ , Sandy thinks to himself with an almost saddened smile. _Older than you can ever comprehend._

It is Kozmotis and _LovelyOne_ who make the choice this time, though a bit more carefully considered than how Sandy did it once upon a time. Both have made their decisions about what to do with wills, of how which child gets what part of everything. It is equally shared out, no one gets cheated of anything. And if someone feels like they have been, they will have to sort it out themselves. They don’t need the old people to sort out their problems anymore.

 _Old people._  Sandy thinks sadly, as if he for the first time truly sees how _LovelyOne’s_ hair has gone silvery white, while Kozmotis has less of a crest these days. He does worry, but it is more out of habit from another time, because when he pays attention, he remembers to look for other signs. How Kozmotis still walks with a straight back, and neither he nor _LovelyOne_ have ever been plagued by arthritis or other ailments. They haven’t even shown any signs of being feebleminded, but that is why it is difficult to find out what to do next, or as Kozmotis calls it, to take the next step.

They decide to go for a walk.  
————

Even after all these years, it still feels a bit strange, _LovelyOne_ admits. But it is also nice. Her human form had begun to feel so _heavytiredused_.

 _DarkShadowNight_ pulls her close in his embrace, his content like a rumbling purring of a great cat. _Heavytiredused, yes._ He agrees. _But no more. Happyhappyjoynewlife._

Sandy watches the two, wanting nothing more than to embrace them, but afraid he might smother them. He keeps himself distant, just like he has all this time, because while he still loves them so very much, this final step is still going to be difficult. _The children-_

 _The children are grown, and their children are growing. LovelyOne_ hums. Her colors are an enchanting dark blue, that look so lovelylovely against _DarkShadowNight’s_ black and with Sandy’s gold. They curl around some of Sandy’s form now in a comforting manner, and _DarkShadowNight_ joins them, curling around them both.

 _They will be sad, DarkShadowNight_ agrees. _But they will know our old forms did not hurt._

That was true, Sandy thinks. It is one significant difference between back then and now. _LovelyOne_ and _DarkShadowNight_ had found out a way to leave behind their shells, and sometimes to control them from a distance, just in case something needed to be attended to.

But there has not been a need for that in a long time. As far as anyone will know, Lord and Lady Pitchiner went out for a walk one day, and found themselves a place to sit. And then they fell asleep and did not wake up again.   
————-

Time is sometimes a challenging aspect, even for a Star Being, and sometimes it can be disorienting for one who used to be human. But _DarkShadowNight_ and _LovelyOne_ slowly get used to time just passing by. They do not visit their family, though, simply because they know that it would be painful.

Sandy will not admit it, but a part of him is glad about it. He remembers too well the pain he could sense in another time, when a young bride had lost her groom, and had no one else.  

But it doesn’t stop them from sometimes going for a walk through the woods by the estate in human form. They prefer doing so at night, especially on nights when the stars are clear.

And if some night time wanderer should spot them? Well, any old family estate has its own respectful ghost story, yes?

A time does come when they all three tire of this activity, though mostly because the woods seem to make way to towns, and later cities. The area around the estate becomes a park, but not in a way that they enjoy. So eventually, they simply decide that it is time to leave entirely. The Star Beings that were once Lord and Lady Pitchiner do not know what is happening with their estate, only that it is still owned by their descendants.

And Sandy decides that it is time for other goodbyes as well. While _LovelyOne_ and _DarkShadowNight_ are taking one last walk through the woods, he finds an old oak where he makes a deep hole under the roots. There, he buries the oyster that still contains the pearls that was another Kozmotis, _DarkShadowNight_ and Pitch Black.

It is time to put the past to rest.

Time passes, and worlds grow old. And Star Beings move on.  
————-

Sandy does not know how long it has been, since the three of them began to travel together. What he does know, is that he always learns new things about his new family and playmates.

 _LovelyOne_ and _DarkShadowNight_ are cuddlers, for one. They love to wrap around him and each other, and their love for him and each other is so strong and warm. It is a wonderful feeling to fall asleep with the ones you love, even if Star Beings do not really need sleep.

 _LovelyOne_ and _DarkShadowNight_ are also good at keeping up appearances. They know Sandy has loved them for a long time, and they tell him that one time when he is feeling a rare moment of melancholy over a time long ago that went wrong. They curl around him and snuggle, and tell him that they both knew, ever since that first time they showed _LovelyOne_ how to take a new form. And they love him in return.

Sandy gladly returns their love and affection. _I didn’t want to pressure you or force you._ He tells them. _You were so happy with each other._

 _We are even happier with you._ They hum in unison.

And that, they all decide, is all they need.

Perhaps there will be another world, Sandy thinks. One that has a young Star Being as its moon, and Guardians that watch over the children in this world.

But that will be another time.

The End


End file.
